1. With a pastry brush or paper towel, lightly butter two 14-by-17-inch baking sheets. Sprinkle some flour over each sheet, tip it from side to side to coat the surface evenly, and knock off the excess by inverting and striking it sharply against the edge of a table.

2. Cream the 8 tablespoons of butter and the sugar together, beating them against the side of a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolk, then the almond paste, a tablespoonful at a time.

3. Gradually stir in the lemon juice a teaspoonful at a time and add the lemon peel and the salt. Pour in the flour, ½ cup at a time, beating until the mixture becomes a doughy mass.

5. Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a floured surface, roll the dough into a circle about 1/8 inch thick. With a 2½-inch cookie cutter-either plain or scalloped-cut out all the cookies possible.

6. With a metal spatula, place them side by side on the baking sheets. Lightly knead the leftover scraps of dough into a ball, then roll it out again into a circle 1/8 inch thick and cut out more cookies. Repeat the process until all the dough is used.

7. Beat the egg white with the water to combine, then with a pastry brush, coat each cookie lightly. Bake in the middle of the oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are a light golden brown.

8. Remove them from the oven and slide them onto a cake rack. Drop a dab of jam onto the center of each cookie, then sprinkle with chopped almonds.